I guess I’ll start at the very beginning, almost three years ago now. Myself and my brother Elliot were toying with the idea of setting up a partnership business, we had an itch and we needed to scratch it! There was many a random conversation on business ideas but one thing was certain, it had to be Landrover 4x4 based which is an area we had massive interest and knowledge in. Even though both of us work full time at separate jobs, I am an Electrical Technician in the renewable energy industry while Elliot runs his own business Pathfinders Camper Conversion, we were still very eager to build a new business as we had the ability and the motivation.

Following online research, it was clear that many entrepreneurs believe that you have to be 100% devoted and give every minute of your day to your business. I disagree. You have to be realistic! Of course, you need to be 100% committed to your new business venture but it doesn’t mean that you have to quit your full-time job, you can do both if you are clever with your time. And yes, it does mean less time to yourself but as long as herself is happy, that’s all that matters.

After endless brainstorming sessions, several pots of tea (sometimes a little Jameson went down nicely), we had it. Our idea was simply to put Kinlough on the map through a tourism based outdoor, experiential business venture. Our business concept was 4x4 tours in our bespoke Landrover Defenders discovering the vast beauty of South Donegal and North Leitrim. A very simple business idea that was a great tourist initiative.

We set about making the relevant phone calls to find out what was needed to get this business concept across the line. Two LONG months were spent going blue in the face on the phone trying to make this work but the amount of red tape in Ireland for business start-ups is extremely frustrating. We weren’t allowed to use our unique Landrover Defenders because they didn’t have adequate exit doors and the insurance wasn’t feasible for a start-up company with quotes from €10,000 upwards. Frustrated and disheartened, myself and Elliot went back to the drawing board but we weren’t giving up, no chance.

In October of 2015, we sat in my kitchen just having a random chat while having a nice hot whiskey, when like a light bulb moment it hit us ... what about blindfold driving, now you will agree this idea was mental compared to our previous endeavour but hey, don’t judge. We laughed and questioned ourselves but said we should pursue it and see how it goes. With insurance being the most difficult aspect in our research before, we said this has to be our first battle.

The amount of laughs and “could you repeat exactly what you want insurance for” we received was a little bit soul destroying and on one occasion an insurance rep said there’s not a hope I could insure you for 4x4 off-roading where the driver is blindfolded. However, before he hung up, he did mention that if you ever get insurance and get set up, ring me as I definitely want to do that! On the 3rd of November 2015, I got a phone call from an insurance broker who was a true gent. He had to go to an English company but they approved our proposal and we got our insurance!! We were on the pigs back and drove on, delighted with ourselves.

Next up, our business name. After 147 spider diagrams, arguments and many debates, we all happily settled on “Wild Atlantic Crusades”. We felt the name truly expressed our entire motivation behind the business venture, we wanted to put Kinlough on the map along the Wild Atlantic Way and we had to fight to get it.

So, I hope you enjoyed my first blog post. ‘The Tale of Wild Atlantic Crusades, Part 2’ will delve into the nitty gritty aspects of setting up your own business.​Thanks for reading.All the best,Lorcan.